Nick Daicos has shut down any suggestion he could be prised away from Collingwood, insisting he remains fully committed to the club despite reports of rival AFL sides making bold approaches.
The 22-year-old midfielder, who finished runner-up in the Brownlow Medal for the second straight year, is contracted with the Magpies until the end of 2029, yet that hasn’t stopped others from trying their luck.
Speaking at Caulfield racecourse, Daicos brushed off the speculation with his trademark composure.
‘It’s just business as usual’
“I guess it’s just that time of year, isn’t it?” Daicos said on Saturday. “I’ll leave all that business with my manager, Robbie D’Orazio — he does a great job. He always says to me, ‘if it’s anything serious and I need to let you know, I’ll let you know.’ He hasn’t let me know as of yet. There’s always movement going on, but I just wait to hear from a call from Robbie.”
Pressed on whether Collingwood fans should be concerned before Wednesday’s trade deadline, Daicos was emphatic. “I can put that to bed. I don’t think so,” he said. “As I said, Robbie handles all that stuff, and I haven’t heard anything, so it’s just business as usual, and I’m contracted. I keep putting my effort and energy into the Collingwood football club.”
The Magpies are believed to be weighing up a move for North Melbourne’s Jy Simpkin, and Daicos backed the idea. “That would be awesome,” he said. “Any time that you can welcome in a star player from an opposition, you’d jump at that opportunity.”